So. We found out today that we need to replace the electrical panel. Remember how the window air conditioners kept flipping the breaker? Well, even though we had dedicated outlets installed shortly before we left on vacation, the breakers are still flipping. The outlets are rated 15amp (although tomorrow they will be 20amp after the upgrade), and the air conditioners are only rated 11.5amp, so they shouldn't be overwhelming the circuits at all even now. But we're still having a problem with the breakers flipping. Apparently, it is because the current electrical panel is as old as dirt and is overheating enough that it's flipping the breakers when it shouldn't.
By noon tomorrow we should have stable breakers that don't flip every 10 minutes. I'm very much looking forward to that. It will be nice not to have to stop what I'm doing to go push the breaker back on. Yep. It's going to be nice. Thankfully, both tomorrow and Thursday are supposed to be cooler, so it won't be too hard to deal with the complete lack of cooled air for a few hours.
The technician came out today to look at the air conditioners as part of the extended warranty protection. The one air conditioner isn't working worth a darn. He figures it's because it needs removed from it's case and cleaned well inside. He and someone else will be coming back out on Thursday morning to thoroughly clean the units. If that doesn't make the one window unit cool like it's supposed to, he'll charge the coolant. We may make it through summer after all!
I'm so glad we'll be able to have a cooler house in the next few days. I need to make a birthday cake for Scooter. Can't believe our baby will be 17 already.
It's been a very long, emotional day. I'm glad it's over. I had to deal with a couple of melting children today. I am thinking they maybe the hubster forgot to give them their Theanine last night. I need to check with him to make sure. It would definitely explain the meltdowns they both had today.
I'm looking for the new start that the morning brings, a cool house, and no melting children!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Calamity
This might take a bit, so bear with me. To say I'm a bit distressed and more than a bit irritated would be an understatement...
Bugster met her husband almost 5 years ago. Bug's hubster (I'll call him 'Bubster') had to step up and be the man of the family when his dad took off with another woman to another part of the country leaving him and his younger brother in the care (and I use that term loosely!) of their mother. It's been an absolute nightmare for the kids.
Bubster was signing his paycheck over to his mom (I'll call her 'Calamity') to buy groceries when he was only 16 or 17. She would buy minimal groceries and drink the rest away. She hasn't had a job that lasted for more than 2 weeks in the entire time we've known Bubster. She has been evicted from every place she's paid rent in that period of time for nonpayment and has been kicked out of friends' homes each of the other places she's lived.
Calamity stole a credit card application out of the mail that was in Bubster's name and stole his identity. He had no idea until the creditors came calling for a card she'd maxed out. She routinely left Bubster and his little brother alone to hang out with her boyfriend who was in jail. That's how the boys spent their last Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year together before Bubster moved out on his own-alone for the holidays and forbidden to come to our house for dinner.
She supposedly threw their brand new video games in the trash, because she was mad at the kids, although we suspect she pawned them for booze. She promised bicycles and gifts to the kids and drank the Christmas/birthday money away instead. It was just a hopeless situation.
After one of the evictions, she moved with Bubster's little brother (I'll call him Frank) to the next school district. Calamity did absolutely nothing to enroll him in school at all. Instead, she let him play video games all day long and called it 'homeschooling' (this kind of thing is what gives homeschooling a bad name, and it drives me nuts!) while she'd drown herself in the bottle. We got involved, since we knew the principal of the school he was supposed to be attending, and the principal got the ball rolling. If the principal hadn't gotten involved Bubster's little brother wouldn't be turned over to CPS, because that was the next step we would have taken.
At the end of that school year 3 years ago, Calamity sent Frank to live with his dad, because she 'just couldn't handle it anymore'. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to Frank, as she spiraled even further out of control. The fact that Bubster somehow not only survived this woman but has actually become a decent, upstanding young man is beyond us. We are very, very proud of him and proud to call him our son-in-law.
Fast forward 3 years. Frank came to spend the summer with Bugster, Bubster and Calamity. And although she'd known for months that he would be coming, Calamity did nothing to prepare for his arrival. She had no food. She hadn't done the laundry. Nothing. Can you imagine how welcome he felt?
So Frank, now 14, has spent a lot of the time he's been here with Bugster and Bubster. At this point, he doesn't even like spending time with Calamity. Not only is there nothing to do at her apartment, but she has him babysit for her boyfriend's kids or grandkids for free! He's never met these people before, but she makes him feel obligated. It's just so wrong on so many levels!
Anyway, I've been on the phone most of the day with Bugster. She's at her wit's end. The boys' dad has decided that Frank will not be coming home, because he 'just can't handle it' now. As of right now, it looks like Bugster and Bubster will have Frank living with them. They are looking into guardianship, and there is hope that she will willingly sign Frank over to them, so they don't have a problem with her fighting them.
However, it appears as though they're ready to fight.
Frank is not a disposable child.
They will not let him be thrown away yet again.
Bugster met her husband almost 5 years ago. Bug's hubster (I'll call him 'Bubster') had to step up and be the man of the family when his dad took off with another woman to another part of the country leaving him and his younger brother in the care (and I use that term loosely!) of their mother. It's been an absolute nightmare for the kids.
Bubster was signing his paycheck over to his mom (I'll call her 'Calamity') to buy groceries when he was only 16 or 17. She would buy minimal groceries and drink the rest away. She hasn't had a job that lasted for more than 2 weeks in the entire time we've known Bubster. She has been evicted from every place she's paid rent in that period of time for nonpayment and has been kicked out of friends' homes each of the other places she's lived.
Calamity stole a credit card application out of the mail that was in Bubster's name and stole his identity. He had no idea until the creditors came calling for a card she'd maxed out. She routinely left Bubster and his little brother alone to hang out with her boyfriend who was in jail. That's how the boys spent their last Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year together before Bubster moved out on his own-alone for the holidays and forbidden to come to our house for dinner.
She supposedly threw their brand new video games in the trash, because she was mad at the kids, although we suspect she pawned them for booze. She promised bicycles and gifts to the kids and drank the Christmas/birthday money away instead. It was just a hopeless situation.
After one of the evictions, she moved with Bubster's little brother (I'll call him Frank) to the next school district. Calamity did absolutely nothing to enroll him in school at all. Instead, she let him play video games all day long and called it 'homeschooling' (this kind of thing is what gives homeschooling a bad name, and it drives me nuts!) while she'd drown herself in the bottle. We got involved, since we knew the principal of the school he was supposed to be attending, and the principal got the ball rolling. If the principal hadn't gotten involved Bubster's little brother wouldn't be turned over to CPS, because that was the next step we would have taken.
At the end of that school year 3 years ago, Calamity sent Frank to live with his dad, because she 'just couldn't handle it anymore'. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to Frank, as she spiraled even further out of control. The fact that Bubster somehow not only survived this woman but has actually become a decent, upstanding young man is beyond us. We are very, very proud of him and proud to call him our son-in-law.
Fast forward 3 years. Frank came to spend the summer with Bugster, Bubster and Calamity. And although she'd known for months that he would be coming, Calamity did nothing to prepare for his arrival. She had no food. She hadn't done the laundry. Nothing. Can you imagine how welcome he felt?
So Frank, now 14, has spent a lot of the time he's been here with Bugster and Bubster. At this point, he doesn't even like spending time with Calamity. Not only is there nothing to do at her apartment, but she has him babysit for her boyfriend's kids or grandkids for free! He's never met these people before, but she makes him feel obligated. It's just so wrong on so many levels!
Anyway, I've been on the phone most of the day with Bugster. She's at her wit's end. The boys' dad has decided that Frank will not be coming home, because he 'just can't handle it' now. As of right now, it looks like Bugster and Bubster will have Frank living with them. They are looking into guardianship, and there is hope that she will willingly sign Frank over to them, so they don't have a problem with her fighting them.
However, it appears as though they're ready to fight.
Frank is not a disposable child.
They will not let him be thrown away yet again.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Home.
The time I had with my family was fleeting and went by so incredibly quickly that I wanted to spend every waking moment soaking it in. I decided my blog could wait. But I'm back home now, and I hopefully won't be missing any more.
I have tons of stuff to do. I'm motivated to get back to it, but I'm taking the day off. We've been invited to The Bugster's house for a BBQ to celebrate Independence Day. We'll go over sometime this afternoon. The girls are still sleeping, so it might be awhile.
We got home this morning around 4 a.m. It was a long car drive, but it was uneventful overall. PMS ruled the backseat, so we had a few issues on one stretch of the trip, but smiles eventually prevailed. I'll take smiles and laughter over PMS any day. Let's just say we're glad to be home where we're not held captive by 4 doors and 4 wheels.
It was hard leaving to start our journey back home. I usually can't talk for the first 50 miles or so because of the lump in my throat. This time the lump lasted about 150 miles. This was the first we'd been home since we lost Daddy. It still felt like home, but there was a definite emptiness without Dad. The strangest thing though, was that it didn't really hit me until we were pulling out of town. I'd once again pushed my feelings aside until I could deal with them. I grieved again like I haven't in a very long time.
It's always hard leaving to come back home. We have to leave family. I know my family is unique. The more I'm around other people and hear about their families, the more unique I know my family is. The depth of love that we have for one another is unrivaled. And our kids flourish amongst their aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. Shoot. We all do.
The hubster and I talked a lot about it on the way back to our home. We've lived here for 17 years, yet we still consider our hometown home. How weird is that? We discussed all manner of things, but the crux of the conversation lie at the feet of our desire to move home again someday. We are both feeling a pull to go back permanently. We always do. Every single time we visit home. But this time, I think it's different. It's no longer a gentle tug but an all out tug of war kind of pull.
This time, I think we may actually do it. This time, I think we're serious. Only time will tell, but we've made very tentative plans to move back in 5 years. At that point, both girls will be out of school. The dehoarding should be complete. We would be debt free. And we'd have a little more equity in our home to make things easier.
On the downside, we'd be leaving Bugster and her new husband. That would be so incredibly hard.
Maybe they'll be ready for a move then, too.
I have tons of stuff to do. I'm motivated to get back to it, but I'm taking the day off. We've been invited to The Bugster's house for a BBQ to celebrate Independence Day. We'll go over sometime this afternoon. The girls are still sleeping, so it might be awhile.
We got home this morning around 4 a.m. It was a long car drive, but it was uneventful overall. PMS ruled the backseat, so we had a few issues on one stretch of the trip, but smiles eventually prevailed. I'll take smiles and laughter over PMS any day. Let's just say we're glad to be home where we're not held captive by 4 doors and 4 wheels.
It was hard leaving to start our journey back home. I usually can't talk for the first 50 miles or so because of the lump in my throat. This time the lump lasted about 150 miles. This was the first we'd been home since we lost Daddy. It still felt like home, but there was a definite emptiness without Dad. The strangest thing though, was that it didn't really hit me until we were pulling out of town. I'd once again pushed my feelings aside until I could deal with them. I grieved again like I haven't in a very long time.
It's always hard leaving to come back home. We have to leave family. I know my family is unique. The more I'm around other people and hear about their families, the more unique I know my family is. The depth of love that we have for one another is unrivaled. And our kids flourish amongst their aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. Shoot. We all do.
The hubster and I talked a lot about it on the way back to our home. We've lived here for 17 years, yet we still consider our hometown home. How weird is that? We discussed all manner of things, but the crux of the conversation lie at the feet of our desire to move home again someday. We are both feeling a pull to go back permanently. We always do. Every single time we visit home. But this time, I think it's different. It's no longer a gentle tug but an all out tug of war kind of pull.
This time, I think we may actually do it. This time, I think we're serious. Only time will tell, but we've made very tentative plans to move back in 5 years. At that point, both girls will be out of school. The dehoarding should be complete. We would be debt free. And we'd have a little more equity in our home to make things easier.
On the downside, we'd be leaving Bugster and her new husband. That would be so incredibly hard.
Maybe they'll be ready for a move then, too.
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